Skype 5.0 released for iPhone with new look and improvements

The new 5.0 version of Skype is now available to download for iPhone devices, after being announced by Microsoft earlier this week. This update revamps its user interface so it looks more like its Windows Phone and Android counterparts.

Microsoft claims that in addition to the UI update, Skype 5.0 for the iPhone should load and perform five times faster than the previous version. Switching from different sections from the app, from contacts to conversations for example, should also be a smoother experience with this version.

Group chats can now begin at the hub in this update, plus messages sent to offline contacts will be seen by their recipients when they get back online. Finally, messages will now sync up and be marked as read on the iPhone if you are chatting with another Skype client, even if it is on a different platform. There's no word on when this update will make its way to the iPad version.

Yeah, but will calling non-Skype users be more reliable? I've noticed over the past several months that the call quality and reliability has dropped significantly -- where I was once able to make a call to family and friends overseas without any problems, I now experience multiple disconnects within a 10-15 minute window.

Being one of the few who seems to be able o actually install the update, I can tell you all you aren't missing out.

Having to swipe between screens like in WP8 makes it much slower than the old version, and it's just very unintuitive and badly designed overall. It doesn't even load messages you've sent in the past, showing empty screens on every contact.